News from the front... I was sitting in the garden with a cup of tea and it was so silent and for some reason I thought of Simon and Garfunkel's song, The Sound of Silence, with the haunting opening lines of "Hello darkness, my old friend".

Thinking about music, I recalled reading an article about the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping through New York City, where apparently the soundtrack of this dreadful virus is the sound of sirens.

We mercifully are not suffering like NYC, Madrid or London, but unfortunately people have contracted the virus here in Somerset and some sadly have died, also some remain very poorly.

So if you hear the soundtrack of sirens in Shepton Mallet, don't be afraid.

The Ambulance Service is still functioning and coping, if you or a loved one is unwell and hear sirens in the distance, know that we are coming to help.

Also at night, if you glimpse blue lights from the comfort of your home, they are there to banish the darkness and bring light and hope to someone in your community.

If during this lockdown you need our assistance, don't hesitate to call, we will come... you know our number.

South Western Ambulance Service has had its ranks bolstered by our firefighter colleagues who are manning ambulances to transport patients, releasing ambulance service staff to crew frontline emergency vehicles (see full story here).

Also Community Responders are assisting us.

We are all in this together.

Morale remains high at Shepton Mallet Ambulance Station.

All of the team are working hard and are very focused on providing the very best care to everyone who needs it.

We continue to be grateful and humbled by all of the kind donations we have received.

We are however very saddened as, in the last nine days across the country, we have lost three of our Green Family, two to this Covid-19 and another young lady aged 23 years, which was not attributable to the virus.

So all our thoughts are with the loved ones of those who have passed.

To those colleagues currently fighting for their lives we say, keep battling, stay in the fight, we are thinking of you.

Another three weeks of lockdown has started but it is working, the South West has the lowest rate of infection so please keep doing what you are doing so well.

Keep the faith, stay safe and look after each other and remember... stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.

Thank you.